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Thursday, November 3, 2016

NextEra to buy Pincher Creek area windfarm

Chris Davis - NextEra Energy Canada, LP has agreed to buy a 97 turbine 291 megawatt (3 megawatts per turbine) wind farm project from Heritage Wind Farm Development. The project is to be located in the Summerview area of the Municipal District of Pincher Creek No. 9. The project was originally approved by the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) in 2011, and the approval was renewed in 2014. The deal is due to close around November 30 of this year, and is subject to regulatory approval. Construction is anticipated to be completed by December 2017.

According to renewable energy market website renews.biz (the primary source for this story) "Heritage received clearance in 2011 for the 97-turbine proposal near Pincher Creek. In 2014, the Alberta Utilities Commission approved an extension to December 2017 to complete construction. Heritage received clearance in 2011 for the 97-turbine proposal near Pincher Creek. In 2014, the Alberta Utilities Commission approved an extension to December 2017 to complete construction."

Prior to this deal NextEra Canada had 15 wind energy projects in Canada, including the 82 megawatt Ghost Pine Wind Energy Centre in Kneehill County, Alberta. The majority of their Canadian projects are in Ontario, and they have two projects in Quebec and one in Nova Scotia. Parent company Florida-based NextEra Energy is reportedly the largest owner and operator of wind and solar energy generating assets in North America, with a total of 85 wind facilities in seventeen US states and three Canadian provinces, and natural gas infrastructure assets in Texas. It claims to be a top ten marketer of energy in the US.